Carlos Alcaraz pursues record and inaugural Men's French Open championship against Alexander Zverev.
The 21-year-old Spanish player currently has a chance to make it three wins out of three and become the youngest male player to win a grand slam on all three surfaces by facing world No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the men's singles French Open final on Sunday. Neither player has ever won at this tournament, meaning that a new name will be engraved on the men's trophy for the first time since 2016, when Novak Djokovic won the first of his three titles.
Famed for his potential since last year's Wimbledon final when he rallied from two sets down to shock Djokovic, Alcaraz's flickers of greatness have culminated in him becoming the youngest male player to reach a final on all three surfaces, as well as the second-youngest French Open finalist since 2000, following closely behind his compatriot and idol Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz expressed his feelings about the French Open during his semifinal win, paying tribute to his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero's win and Nadal's 14 trophies:
"I have a special connection with this tournament," he explained. "I remember when I finished school, I'd run home just to watch the matches on TV at the French Open. I wanted to put my name alongside Spanish greats who have won this tournament. Not just Rafael Nadal... Ferrero, Moya, Costa - a lot of legendary Spanish players who have won this tournament."
However, Zverev poses a formidable contest for Alcaraz. He currently has the lead in their head-to-head, with a 5-4 score. To add to the pressure, Zverev has been embroiled in an assault case in recent days, reaching a settlement with his former partner that involved no admission of guilt from the 27-year-old German. Despite this, he demonstrated his resilience by winning against Norway's Casper Ruud 2-6 6-2 6-4 6-2 in their semifinal, avenging their last four encounter in which Ruud proved dominant and reached the final for a second consecutive year.
Gaining credence as a formidable French Open competitor is Zverev, who hasn't made it to a grand slam final since the 2020 US Open. Although he has a history of reaching the latter stages of grand slams, especially at Roland Garros, where he has reached the semifinals for the past four consecutive years.
Despite the challenges, Zverev maintains a realistic outlook on his upcoming match:
"In a grand slam final, there are no easy matches or opponents," he said after his win against Ruud. "(Alcaraz) played an incredible match today and had a tremendous tournament overall. I'm expecting a very tough game."
How to watch
The men's French Open final begins at 3pm (9am ET) in Paris, with US viewers able to watch it live on NBC and stream it on Peacock. In Europe, the match will be broadcast on Eurosport.
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In the upcoming French Open final, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will face off on the tennis court, each aiming to leave their mark on the tournament's history. After his semifinal win, Alcaraz expressed his excitement to potentially join the prestigious list of Spanish tennis players who have triumphed at the French Open.
